For immediate release April 28, 2003 Vernon: The Vernon Women’s Centre has recently completed the BC Rural Women’s Project. Funded by Status of Women Canada and the Canadian Rural Partnership, this project researched women’s experiences of poverty and of access to communication technology when living in rural and remote communities in British Columbia.

Millions of dollars are being spent on technology in this country, yet there are rural women who still do not have basic telephone communications. In British Columbia, now more than ever, we have a government that is forcing people to be more dependent and reliant on information communication technologies for basic government services and information. Government services and support programs have been ripped from ’the heartlands’. Women in poverty in rural communities are being faced with more and more barriers to services. The main concerns that were identified by women project participants include: childcare, transportation, cost of living, housing, support services, health services, telephone costs, Internet access, and government services.

The complete report is posted at http://ruralwomenproject.bcwomen.bc.ca.

Provincial and federal governments do not seem to be very interested in making these issues a priority. The discourse is an add-on to everything, if it even appears on the agenda. Women are tired of being consulted with, tired of being talked to, they want provincial and federal governments and industry to act. Until we are able to take care of the basic needs for women in rural communities, such as affordable safe childcare, housing, food, and transportation, then we will be unable to improve women’s use of communication technology. Until rural women’s poverty is addressed their Internet use will never increase.